Guild Wars Ranger Guide
===========================
= Version 0.50 5/19/2006 =
===========================
= by Hahnsoo =
===========================
Send all constructive comments, corrections, and questions to hahnsoo@gmail.com
with "Guild Wars - Ranger Guide" in your subject. All other e-mail will be
marked as spam or ignored. Do NOT send me sample builds... such things can more
easily be discussed and critiqued in the Ranger Strategy forum at
http://forums.gwonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=120
I tend to keep this guide up-to-date weekly, coinciding with the weekly updates
to the game. You can expect a new version with more information in this Guide
on a weekly basis. The most recent version of this guide will always be at
GameFAQs.
To easily search this document, use the (gwrgXX) search terms listed in the
table of contents (with the parentheses). When I refer to another section
using the (gwrgXX) in the document, it will be in Brackets [] instead.
Note: With the release of the Chapter 2 Expansion "Factions", the original Guild
Wars game has been labeled "Prophecies" in the character selection screen. Thus,
I will refer to content pertaining to Chapter 1 as "Prophecies" and content
pertaining to Chapter 2 as "Factions". Further chapters will also be referred
to their proper campaign name.
=====================
= Table of Contents =
=====================
1. Introduction.....................(gwrg1)
2. Overview.........................(gwrg2)
3. Attributes.......................(gwrg3)
- 3a. Beast Mastery................(gwrg3a)
- 3b. Expertise....................(gwrg3b)
- 3c. Marksmanship.................(gwrg3c)
- 3d. Wilderness Survival..........(gwrg3d)
4. Equipment........................(gwrg4)
- 4a. Armor........................(gwrg4a)
- 4b. Bows.........................(gwrg4b)
5. Builds...........................(gwrg5)
- 5a. Ranger-only Themes...........(gwrg5a)
- 5b. Ranger/Elementalist..........(gwrg5b)
- 5c. Ranger/Mesmer................(gwrg5c)
- 5d. Ranger/Monk..................(gwrg5d)
- 5e. Ranger/Necromancer...........(gwrg5e)
- 5f. Ranger/Warrior...............(gwrg5f)
- 5g. Factions:Ranger/Assassin.....(gwrg5g)
- 5h. Factions:Ranger/Ritualist....(gwrg5h)
- 5i. Ranger as a secondary........(gwrg5i)
- 5j. Things to Avoid..............(gwrg5j)
6. PvE..............................(gwrg6)
- 6a. General Ranger Tactics.......(gwrg6a)
- 6b. Questing.....................(gwrg6b)
- 6c. Farming......................(gwrg6c)
7. PvP..............................(gwrg7)
- 7a. General Ranger Tactics.......(gwrg7a)
- 7b. Dealing with opponents.......(gwrg7b)
- 7c. The Metagame.................(gwrg7c)
8. FAQ..............................(gwrg8)
9. Appendices.......................(gwrg9)
- 9a. Skill List...................(gwrg9a)
- 9b. Armor List...................(gwrg9b)
- 9c. Collectors List..............(gwrg9c)
- 9d. Expertise Breakpoints........(gwrg9d)
- 9e. Ranger PvE Checklist.........(gwrg9e)
10. End Notes.......................(gwrg10)
========================
= Introduction (gwrg1) =
========================
The Ranger... when most folks think of Rangers, they think of hardy woodland
warriors and hunters, a breed of men and women who brave the wilderness to test
their skills and instincts in the shadow of Mother Nature. Guild Wars Rangers
certainly fit this stereotype (and dispense with the "dual-wielding" scimitar
dancers found in certain Pen-and-Paper roleplaying games). Rangers are
survivalists, skilled archers, tamers of animals, and nimble folk who are just
as likely to dodge attacks as they are to weather a firestorm.
Rangers in the game of Guild Wars are jacks-of-all-trades, masters of few. They
are the second-best in nearly every combat category imaginable. They have the
second best energy regeneration, second best armor, and they possess a wide
skill selection that can easily fill any role in both Player vs. Player (PvP)
and Player vs. Environment (PvE). They also are the archers in this game,
being the only class that is skilled in the use of a bow.
I'm writing this guide because of a general lack of good Ranger guides out
there (and believe me, I've been searching), and because it helps me out with
my own Ranger experience. I hope you can gain as much benefit from this guide
as I have from writing it. By no means is this guide the final word on playing
a Ranger, so feel free to challenge and critique this document with an open
mind. I will always strive to keep this guide up-to-date and accurate, but
everyone makes mistakes and hears misinformation. This guide may also change
as my understanding of Rangers changes.
Why Should I Play a Ranger?
===========================
* Rangers are versatile, being able to run disruption, healing, pure damage,
defense, speed, and pretty much any single role you can think of. A ranger
can find a niche in just about any party.
* Rangers are masters at ranged attacks. With their plethora of bow skills and
high-damage bows, Rangers can deal death at a distance and are the most
effective at "luring" enemies.
* Rangers who focus on Beast Mastery get animal companions, which are a welcome
addition to many parties.
* Rangers are energy-efficient. With many low energy-skills and the Expertise
attribute, you will rarely run into energy problems using Ranger skills.
* Rangers are the only class with access to both Traps and Nature Rituals.
* Rangers have strong armor. Almost as strong as a warrior, and stronger than
a warrior against Elemental Attacks, Rangers have excellent armor coverage.
* Rangers mesh well with other classes. All class combinations of a Ranger can
uniquely complement the Ranger's primary abilities.
* Rangers have an excellent /dance emote for both genders. *grin*
Why Shouldn't I Play a Ranger?
==============================
* Rangers lack effective Energy management. While Expertise lowers costs for
Ranger skills, it doesn't help for the Energy costs of spells. With lower
Energy Regen than primary casters, Rangers have problems when their Energy
reserves bottom out. There are few skills that allow them to reclaim Energy.
* Rangers are ONLY masters of the bow. They are second-best in any other role,
and thus are not as effective at taking punishment, healing others, etc. If
you want to be the BEST Tank or Healer or Spellcaster, this is the wrong
class.
* Rangers deal less damage than Warriors on average. If you want to max out
your combat damage, then play a Warrior. Rangers often require unique combos
of skills to be effective damage dealers. The slow rate of fire on Bows also
compounds this problem, as well as the ineffectiveness on moving targets.
* In the grand scheme of Guild Wars, Rangers are often ignored. Most groups
require a Tank (Warrior), a Healer (Monk), and a Spellcaster (Elementalist).
Beyond these three roles, the other roles (Disruptor, Trapper, etc.) are
often ignored, and thus the Ranger (along with the Mesmer and Necromancer)
are also ignored when forming Pick-up groups.
====================
= Overview (gwrg2) =
====================
Rangers have the following characteristics and attributes:
* Energy Regen +3 (+2 default, +1 from armor)
* High Elemental Resistance (all Ranger armors have +30 Armor vs. Elemental)
* Beast Mastery - linked to skills involving animals and animal companions
* Expertise - linked to skills involving dodging, reduces Energy costs
* Marksmanship - linked to skills involving bow attacks, increases bow damage
* Wilderness Survival - linked to a variety of skills, including traps,
spirits, and preparations
Expertise is the Primary Attribute of a Ranger, and is exclusive to the Ranger
as a primary class. All of the rest are given to secondary class Rangers.
The majority of primary Rangers use bows as a main weapon, depending on
Marksmanship and Marksmanship-based skills for damage. Some Rangers use Beast
Mastery to supplement their damage through an animal companion. On the defense
side, Rangers use Expertise-based skills to evade attacks. Rounding out the
Ranger's abilities is Wilderness Survival, which is a grab-bag of healing,
traps, utility skills, long-lasting Spirits, and bow preparations.
======================
= Attributes (gwrg3) =
======================
In this section, I will discuss each attribute, and highlight a few useful
skills linked to that attribute. If you want exact stats for the skills, head
on over to the Skill List in the Appendix [gwrg9a].
--------------------------
- Beast Mastery (gwrg3a) -
--------------------------
Note: The words Pet and Animal Companion are used interchangeably in this guide
but the nomenclature used by Guild Wars is "Pet", so I try to adhere to that
name as much as possible. Though oddly enough, the skill descriptions say
"Animal Companion".
This is the main attribute for Rangers who wish to focus on a pet, but it also
contains a few non-Pet skills. Just as Marksmanship is the focus of a Ranger
who does damage with Bows, Beast Mastery is the focus of a Ranger who does
damage through his/her Pet. There are several useful Nature Rituals in the
Beast Mastery line, and Tiger's Fury is a popular stance linked to this
attribute.
Pet Mechanics
=============
Note: Much of this information was gleaned from the work by GammaRay and
SonOfRah. The research is still going on in this matter, so stay tuned.
Increasing Beast Mastery increases the damage done by an Animal Companion, in a
similar manner as Marksmanship. In other words, a Beast Mastery of 12 will
allow a pet to do full damage to a target with an AL of 60. Each point of
Beast Mastery offsets 5 points of AL, and 40 points of AL doubles/halves the
damage in each direction. Points above 12 Beast Mastery undergo diminishing
returns. For more information on damage mechanics, hop to the Marksmanship
section [gwrg3c].
Currently, the damage charts for animal companions are not well-known, and are
under investigation by the Guild Wars Ranger community. It looks like, however,
that the BASE damage of a pet is determined by its level, and that the damage
done is analogous to the damage range of Hammers. A level 1 pet has a 3-5
damage range while a level 20 pet has a 14-26 damage range. This is regardless
of the pet being used (i.e. All pet types do the same amount of damage based on
its level).
All pets get 3 Armor Level per level, so at level 20, Pets have a base Armor
Level of 60. A level 20 Pet has the same amount of Health as an unmodified
character of the same level.
Note: As of the 8/25/05 Update, Pets now have an AL of 80 at level 20. It is
not known if this is an immediate boost at 20 or if they gradually gain AL as
they level up. Also, they have an additional 20% running speed.
It seems that pet choice is a mostly matter of cosmetic preferance rather than
a matter of strategy. The only main difference is that each pet does a
different kind of damage, based on its type.
Pet Damage Types
----------------
* Black Bear - slashing
* Lizard - piercing
* Lynx/Stalker - slashing
* Moa Bird - slashing
* Snow Wolf/Wolf - slashing
* Spider - piercing
* Strider - piercing
* Warthog - blunt
Canthan Pet damage types are unknown so far, but probably match their Tyrian
counterparts.
Pets cannot cause Bleeding, Poison, or other conditions without the aid of a Pet
attack skill. Thus, the Spider does NOT cause poison, nor do Warthogs cause
bleeding. These are just rumors.
As of the 9/29/05 you can now see how much damage your pet is doing. Very cool.
Pet Evolutions
==============
Occasionally when a pet levels up, it "evolves", changing its stats slightly.
Evolutions do not change the appearance of a pet, although a pet will change
size corresponding to its level. When a pet evolves, it will gain a prefix to
its name (if you haven't renamed the pet using /petname or /namepet).
Pet Evolution Prefixes
----------------------
* Aggressive = +1 Damage, -30 Health
* Dire - +2 Damage, -60 Health
* Elder - +3? Damage, ?? Health (Unknown)
* Hearty = -2 Damage, +60 Health
* Playful = -1 Damage, +30 Health
Pets typically evolve at around level 10-13 and have a second evolution at
around level 15-17. More evolutions can happen, however, depending on unknown
parameters. Although the "paths" of evolution aren't fully known, a few have
been discovered:
* Pet -> Playful -> Hearty -> Elder
* Pet -> Playful -> Elder (?)
* Pet -> Aggressive -> Dire
* Pet -> Aggressive -> Elder (?)
It is thought that letting the pet take a lot of hits without healing it much
makes the pet into a Hearty or Playful evolution, while letting the pet deal a
lot of damage in combat gives it an Aggressive or Dire evolution. Once on an
evolution "path", you can't go back.
Miscellany
==========
Pets gain XP at the same rate as their master, but it is prorated by their
level. This is only important when the Pet's level is different from the
Master's level... a 20th level character killing a 13th level creature will get
zero XP, but his 13th level pet will get 100 XP from the kill. Apparently, pets
can learn through osmosis. Even more disturbing is the fact that pets gain XP
while they are dead. So don't worry if your pet dies during a mission and you
can't raise him... it is still leveling up along with you.
You can rename your pet using the /namepet (Pet Name) or /petname (Pet Name)
emote. Good times, but if you rename your pet, you will not know what evolution
the pet is in. As of the 9/29/05 update, you can now just type /namepet and it
will rename your pet back to the default so you can figure out what Evolution
it is in.
Pets CANNOT be raised by a normal Resurrection skill or the Resurrection Signet.
They can only be raised by Comfort Animal or Revive Animal.
Overall, any combat skill possessed by the ranger is duplicated in the Beast
Mastery line as a "Pet Attack", a special attack that is executed by the pet.
In general, these attacks are extremely cheap in Energy and Cooldown Time, and
have effects that equal or exceed existing attacks. The only disadvantage is
that they require a pet to execute. A Beast Mastery specialist can easily
Bleed, Interrupt, and Tank an opponent using the pet and the combat skills in
this line. Pet Attacks were updated on 9/29/05 to "function just like a shout".
I'm not sure what this means, other than perhaps that pet attacks can be used
concurrently with any other skill being cast.
Beast Mastery tends to hog a lot of space on the skillbar. Between Charm
Animal, Comfort Animal, and Pet attack skills, it is difficult to squeeze in
anything other than Beast Master skills when focusing on this attribute. Given
the general ineffectiveness of Pets in the late PvE game (although the June
29th update gives them the equivalent of infused armor, thus keeping them alive
when you are up against the Mursaat) and the fact that pets need to be kept
alive to make use of them in PvP, many Rangers skimp their points on this
attribute by the time they reach Lion's Arch or beyond.
Some Skill highlights:
Charm Animal
============
This is the main skill in the Beast Mastery line. You only have a Pet if you
have this skill equipped in your skillbar. To get a Pet (if you don't already
have one), you must use this skill on an appropriate animal. This immediately
makes the animal hostile, so be sure you can survive its attack, and that your
other party members don't attack the animal, killing it before it is charmed.
The 10 second casting time is rather long, which makes charming an animal
during combat impractical.
If you have a current pet, you CANNOT charm a new one. If you wish to change
your animal companion, you need to hand it over to a tamer. The main tamer in
Post-Searing Tyria, named Jarrel the Tamer, is just outside the gates of
Ascalon City. There's also a Tamer next to Master Ranger Nente (who gives you
Charm Animal) in Pre-Searing Ascalon.
List of Charmable Animals (Prophecies)
--------------------------------------
* Dune Lizard (found in the Crystal Desert) Level 5
* Warthog (found in the Maguuma Jungle, Pre-Searing Northlands)
* Lynx (found in Kryta) Level 5
* Stalker (ONLY found in Ascalon, near the Shrine of Melandru in Regent Valley
Pre-Searing or near Gate Guard Hollis Post-Searing) Level 5
* Snow Wolf (found in the Shiverpeaks) Level 5
* Strider/Moa Bird (found in Ascalon) Level 2-3
* Black Bear (found in the throughout the Southern Shiverpeaks) Level 5
* Elder Wolf (The pet of "Thul the Bull" in Spearhead Peak) Level 15
* Elder Black Widow Spider (Underworld) Level 20
* Wolf (found in Pre-searing Lakeside County) Level 2
List of Charmable Animals (Factions)
------------------------------------
* Tiger - Throughout Shing Jea island, Pongmei Valley
* White Tiger - Between Tanglewood Copse and Arborstone
* Crane - Throughout Shing Jea island, Pongmei Valley
* Reef Lurker (blue) - Around Cavalon
* Reef Lurker (blue) - Shenzun Tunnels, Pongmei Valley
* Black Moa Bird - Charmable after Beak of Darkness quest in House Zu Heltzer
* Phoenix - Charmable at the last mission of the game
How (NOT) to Charm a Pre-Searing Bear
-------------------------------------
Black Bears in Pre-Searing Ascalon can be targeted with Charm Animal. However,
they also possess a skill which allows them to break the charm attempt. In
previous versions, one could capture the bear with a combination of Bane
Signet, Hammer Bash, and Faintheartedness to keep it busy. However, it has
recently been patched, so now it is nearly impossible to capture a pre-Searing
Black Bear (research is still being done). Sorry, folks.
Update: Apparently, some folks have been able to "trap" a Bear between a
partner's pet and themselves, allowing the Ranger to Charm the Bear because the
bear would not be able to move into range to use Break Charm. The research
continues...
Update: Another method is to have the Bear attack a friend, and have that friend
run away from you. You activate Charm Animal just as the Bear is leaving your
skill range, and the Bear will continue to follow the friend. When it comes
time to "Break Charm", the bear will not be able to interrupt you.
Finding an Elder Black Widow
----------------------------
Elder Black Widows are a special pet that can only be found in the Underworld.
They are made available after you get the chest quest reward for the quest
"Wrathful Spirits". This quest is given by the Reaper of the Forgotten Vale,
who appears after finishing the quest "Restoring of the Monuments" from the
Reaper of the Labyrinth.
I've taken the liberty of making a map of the beginning part of the Underworld,
which you can find at this link:
http://img206.echo.cx/img206/883/underworldmap7uf.jpg
Comfort Animal
==============
There are only two skills that can revive a Pet, Comfort Animal and Revive
Animal. Comfort Animal is received at the same time as Charm Animal and thus
is usually the pet resurrect of choice, simply because of availability. In
general, I would think carefully before adding this to a skillbar. If you are
heading into PvP or a Mission, then the skillbar slot is probably better served
by a different skill. If you are exploring large regions of Tyria, then take
along Comfort Animal to revive your pet on those long treks far from a
convenient city. "Casual" beast masters who don't focus on Beast Mastery should
never take this skill along.
As of April 29, 2006, skills are no longer disabled for casting this, making it
a lot more useful than it was before.
Call of Protection
==================
An underappreciated buff for your pet, Call of Protection gives a straight
damage reduction bonus to your pet, allowing it to live much longer and survive
in tough combat situations. It lasts for a whole 2 minutes (and has a recharge
time almost as long), and gives an incredible amount of damage reduction for
a small amount of Energy. The main problem is the opportunity cost of taking
up a skillbar slot, especially since Beast Masters already have problems with
skillbar space, needed for Pet Attacks and other Ranger skills.
Ferocious Strike (Elite)
========================
This Elite skill in the Beast Mastery line is actually rather lackluster, other
than the fact that it's the only Elite available in Prophecies. You gain
adrenaline (which is only useful for Warrior/Ranger or Ranger/Warrior
combinations) and some Energy. This is a good Energy management skill for the
Ranger (who lacks good Energy management in general), but overall it may not be
worth selecting as your Elite skill.
Fertile Season
==============
Most people who grab this spirit are awed by the increase in maximum health
and armor offered by it. On paper, the stats look good, and it lasts a long
time due to the fact that it's a Spirit. However, since it IS a spirit, the
bonuses apply to both your party AND to all monsters within its radius, making
it significantly harder to kill most monsters. Leave this spirit at home,
folks, unless you want to be mauled by stronger, more armored versions of your
enemies. On the other hand, a Necromancer might find this spirit useful.
Otyugh's Cry
============
At first glance, this appears to be a bad skill. Animals aren't found in many
locations, and even then, they tend to be low level. However, the +20 Armor
bonus applies to all animals, including your pet. This reduces damage by about
20 to 30 percent to your pet (as well as other pets owned by your allies). It
also lasts for 30 seconds (with an equally long cooldown time), fairly lengthy.
It requires a target, because of the "main" ability (which in my opinion is
secondary to the armor bonus). Also, you need at least a 4 Beast Mastery to
make effective use of it without failure.
I have not seen a Otyugh anywhere in the lands of Tyria, although I suppose the
devourer line of creatures resembles the "classic" Otyugh monster.
Tiger's Fury
============
This skill is one of the best "increased attack speed" stances available in
Guild Wars. It is less useful for spellcaster classes (as it disables non-
attack skills while in use). It is also a bit expensive at 10 Energy, but with
a high Expertise, this can be negligable. More points in Beast Mastery extend
the overall duration, giving you more seconds of berzerk attacking.
Factions Skills
===============
This section is a work-in-progress.
A variety of skills have been added to the game with the release of Factions.
Along with many new pet attacks and nature spirits, there are some interesting
additions that increase the variety of tools at a Beastmaster's disposal.
Enraged Lunge
-------------
This Factions Pet Attack packs quite a punch. For every recharging Pet Attack,
it deals bonus damage, up to a total bonus of +80! Of course, with this sort
of power, the skill is an Elite, and makes a nice replacement for Ferocious
Strike (the previous "Core" Elite). The cooldown is only 5 seconds, allowing
you to quickly attack again with devastating spike damage. You may want to
have a line-up of Pet Attack skills that have a longer cooldown time, such as
Pounce, Savage Pounce, and Bestial Mauling. Energizing Wind can help slow down
the cooldown as well, but it isn't friendly to your casters in the group.
Heal as One
-----------
A useful heal in the Beast Master's repetoire, it is one of the few ways Rangers
can heal directly. It is an Elite, and thus takes up your Elite slot. The 12
second cooldown makes this skill less useful than Monk heals, but it heals a lot
of damage at higher levels of Beast Mastery skill. I'm more inclined to leave
this one at home (it IS an Elite), personally, but if you have trouble with
healing or you want a substitute for Troll Unguent that also benefits your pet
and you don't mind sacrificing your Elite slot, you can give this skill a try.
The difficulty, of course, is finding this skill. It has only been seen in Yeti
beastmasters and Luxon Rangers, and no boss has been identified for those folks.
Stay tuned for more details...
Update: Silke Fur Friend in Melandru's Hope, southwest of Jade Quarry has this
skill. Apparently, the skill was missing before a patch fixed it.
Viper's Nest
------------
Here is a novel skill: A trap in the Beastmastery line. It does some piercing
damage and adds the poison condition to the victims that trigger it. While a
Beastmaster's repetoire doesn't really require trapping, it can be useful in a
pinch, especially if you don't have many points invested in Wilderness Survival.
----------------------
- Expertise (gwrg3b) -
----------------------
Expertise is the Ranger primary attribute. By itself, it is a useful passive
attribute, reducing the costs of Ranger abilities. However, Expertise does
NOT affect spells, hexes, or enchantments. Expertise rounds to the nearest
integer, making for some very interesting breakpoints. This can be tested by
extending your energy bar across the length of the screen and using skills at
various levels of Expertise. These breakpoints can be found in Appendix 9d -
Expertise Breakpoints [gwrg9d]. Breakpoints should NOT be your only
consideration for your level of Expertise, as a higher Expertise level also
enhances the quality of its linked skills.
Expertise has many skills which improve the defensive capabilities of a Ranger.
Skills like Whirling Defense and Throw Dirt prevent melee combatants from
touching you. Expertise also has a few bow attack skills, mostly interrupts
and disruption.
Some Skill highlights:
Distracting Shot
================
Distracting Shot is probably the best interrupting attack in the game. Not only
can it be used at range, but it has a quick attack time (0.5 seconds), costs
only 5 energy (often reduced by Expertise), and disables an interrupted skill
for a whole 20 seconds. The main disadvantage is the low damage, along with a
slightly slow Cooldown Time.
"Buffering" a Distracting Shot is a useful technique to squeeze a little more
damage out of your usual bow attacks. Basically, while one bow attack is
being used (and is flashing in your skill bar), hit Distracting Shot as well.
The first attack will fire off, followed almost immediately (in 3/4th of a
second) by a Distracting Shot. The following shot after that is at the normal
rate of fire. You can consider the Distracting Shot a "bonus" arrow that was
quicker to shoot. This is mostly useful in builds which have added damage to
each arrow, using skills like Ignite Arrow or Conjure Lightning.
Lightning Reflexes
==================
Lightning Reflexes is a short-duration stance that gives both 75% evasion
against attacks and a 33% increased attack speed. This is a potent combination
that allows a Ranger to both attack quickly (doing more damage) and evade
attacks. It has a disadvantage, though, of a long cooldown time, so you can't
continually activate it (unlike the Mesmer skill Distortion). It is best used
as a supplement to another defensive stance, like Whirling Defense. Between
Whirling Defense and Lightning Reflexes, an opponent will be hard-pressed to
hit you.
Marksman's Wager (Elite)
========================
Marksman's Wager is one of the few good Energy management skills that a Ranger
can use. Since the majority of your arrows will hit, you can reasonably expect
to gain a significant amount of Energy per hit, allowing you to power your high
energy bow attacks (or whatever... spells, perhaps). It is an Elite, and thus
you won't have other Elites, but you'll be swimming in Energy with this skill.
It is a preparation, so you won't be able to use your other preparations while
it is active. Just don't use it when you are blinded or against warriors who
can block your shots.
Oath Shot (Elite)
=================
Oath Shot is a unique ability that recharges all of your skills if it hits.
There is a minimum Expertise requirement for consistent hitting, which places
this skill out of the hands of low Expertise Rangers or secondary Rangers.
Still, instantly recharging the long cooldowns of, say, Whirling Defense or
Lightning Reflexes gives you an instant advantage in tempo. Hopefully, you'll
have enough energy to use your recharged skills. It is also an Elite skill,
and as with other Elites, you forgo the use of other Elites by choosing this
skill.
Throw Dirt
==========
Throw Dirt is a touch range, Area of Effect Blind condition. It has a
relatively short duration, but this is lengthened by High Expertise. It is
best used on non-spellcasters, mostly frontline warriors (although you can
catch the occasional ranged attacker with it). Because it adds Blind, it makes
the targets blind to everyone, and thus protects everyone from those creatures'
attacks.
Throw Dirt is a Condition, and thus can be removed by a number of things. While
most monsters don't carry around Mend Ailment, most W/Mo characters in PvP do
(mostly BECAUSE of this much-hated skill). Throw Dirt is also touch range, so
if you are using this, expect to get up-close and personal. Throw Dirt is best
used to either support warriors in the front line or to defend yourself at
melee range (similar to other Ranger defensive skills). Throw Dirt affects only
the creatures within melee range of your target, thus it can only affect one
"side" of you if you are surrounded, making it less than ideal in swarm
situations.
Whirling Defense
================
Whirling Defense is probably the most balanced of the defensive ranger skills,
and it comes with the longest duration to boot. The longest duration alone
makes this skill worth taking over its relatives (Lightning Reflexes, Dryder's
Defenses, Escape). Whirling Defense is a stance, so be sure you don't cancel
it out with another stance before its duration is through. Also, the cooldown
time is rather long (which is typical for the Ranger defensive skills), so it
works best in concert with another defensive stance to cover the duration from
the end of Whirling Defense and the recharge of the skill. The additional
damage from deflecting projectiles is cute, but negligable.
Factions Skills
===============
This section is a work-in-progress.
There aren't many skills added to Expertise with the release of Factions. The
non-Elite skills that were added mimic existing skills (Zojun's Haste is similar
to Dodge; Zojun's Shot is similar to Point Blank Shot). The only particularly
interesting skill is the new Elite preparation:
Glass Arrows (Elite)
--------------------
This Elite preparation ensures that whether or not your arrows are blocked,
you'll still have some sort of effect. It's a preparation in the Expertise line
(Which is rather unique), and causes extra damage on striking and Bleeding when
they are blocked. The only thing that can stop these arrows are evades, which
unfortunately are pretty common outside of the Warrior profession. Still, it's
a great way to strike at warriors who are fond of tanking behind blocking
stances. It is still an Elite, however, making its use limited.
-------------------------
- Marksmanship (gwrg3c) -
-------------------------
Marksmanship is considered by many Rangers to be the bread-and-butter skill
that defines a Ranger. Increasing Marksmanship increases the damage of a bow.
The actual damage equation is a bit complicated, but in general, 12 points in
Marksmanship against an AL of 60 will do 100% of the bow's damage range. Also,
most bows have a minimum Marksmanship requirement. If you wield a bow with
less Marksmanship than what is listed on the bow, then it does as much damage
as a bow of the same type dropped by a Level 5 enemy (the actual damage range
varies, just like those dropped by Level 5 enemies, and it is hidden).
Bow Damage Equations
====================
This is based on the excellent work done by SonOfRah, but it is subject to
change. This information is accurate and tested as of July 2005. For a more
detailed look at damage, check out SonOfRah's guide at:
http://www.gwonline.net/page.php?p=157
The basic equation for Bow Damage is as follows:
Actual Damage = (Base Damage) x (Bow Bonuses) x (Skill vs. Armor Level)
The Base Damage is picked from the effective damage range of the bow. For a
max damage bow, this range is between 15-28. The Skill vs. Armor Level is
based on a complex equation, but a couple of general rules apply:
* Every point of Marksmanship offsets 5 points of Armor Level, up to an
attribute rank of 12 (there are diminishing returns above 12). This
"baseline" value is compared to the Armor Level of the target to determine
the actual damage.
* Every point above 12 gives 3 points in addition to the baseline value of 60
at Attribute rank 12. Thus, a 13 Attribute Rank gives a baseline of 63.
* If the baseline is equal to the Armor Level of the target, then you do 100%
of your damage. If you have a higher baseline than the Armor Level of the
target, then you do more damage. If you have a lower Baseline than the Armor
Level of the target, then you do less damage.
* Every 40 Armor Level that the target has above your baseline halves the
damage, and every 40 Armor Level that the target has below your baseline
doubles the damage.
For example, since 4 points of attribute offsets 20 points of AL, you can
expect a Marksmanship of 4 (baseline of 20) to do half damage against an AL
of 60 (which is 40 points above the baseline).
An equation that models this behavior is as follows:
Damage = Base Damage * 2^{[(5 * Attribute) - Armor Level]/40} * Bow Bonuses
Bow bonuses are multiplied with this along with the Armor Level calculation. If
you have multiple bonus percentages, then these percentages are multiplied
together. I.E. A customized weapon gives a 20% bonus. When you combine it with
a 15% damage bonus, you multiply 120% and 115% to give a total of 138% enhanced
damage. All damage is rounded to the nearest integer.
Hit Locations
-------------
Guild Wars uses a Hit Location system. This means that each piece of armor has
a chance of being struck individually, rather than an abstract armor level from
the pieces summed as a whole. In general, these are the percentages:
* Chest is hit 37.5% of the time.
* Leggings is hit 25% of the time.
* Feet, Gloves, and Head are hit 12.5% of the time.
These percentages are augmented by positioning. It is said that hitting the
head provides an increased or automatic chance for critical hits, but this has
not been confirmed.
Critical Hits
-------------
Critical Hits always do maximum base damage of the bow. They also give the
equivalent of -20 Armor Level reduction, increasing your damage by 41.42%.
The chance for a critical hit is not well-known, but the chance for getting a
critical hit is approximately 16% at attribute rating 12 (giving a chance of
about 1.25% per attribute point), with the chance for a critical hit doubling
for every 5 levels you are above the target, and the chance for a critical hit
being halved for ever 5 levels you are below the target. This is an approximate
equation that models the critical hit chance (but it may not be completely
accurate):
Chance = (1+[1.25*Attribute Rank])*2^([Character level - Target Level]/5)
Situational Damage
------------------
Attacking from the flanks of a target gives a 5% damage bonus, while attacking
directly behind a target gives about 10% damage bonus. It was thought that
opponents did not get the benefit of a shield when attacked from behind or the
flanks, but this has been tested to be false as of 5/1/2006.
Attacking from an elevated position has a greater likelihood of hitting the
head. Being above your target increases your range somewhat and grants a 15%
damage bonus.
Attacking from a lower position has a greater likelihood of hitting the legs
and feet. No damage bonuses are known for this position. Being lower than
your target reduces your range somewhat.
If your attack is a critical hit, the damage bonus from positioning is ignored.
Bonus Damage from Skills
------------------------
The bonus damage from skills is generally applied AFTER all armor and damage
percentage bonuses from the bow are calculated into the equation. So if your
bow skill lists a bonus damage of +10, then +10 damage gets directly added
after calculations. This means that armor generally has no effect on the bonus
damage done by Bow Attack skills.
The exception to this rule is Power Shot, for some reason, as this skill adds
to the Base Damage of the weapon rather than adding bonus damage after the
calculations (this fact is not confirmed, but it is in a few forum posts made
by SonOfRah). This is important to know, because this means that Power Shot
damage changes based on the armor level of the target. A highly armored target
will take much less damage from a Power Shot, while a lightly armored target
will take much more damage from a Power Shot.
Damage Absorb
-------------
Absorption provided from Runes of Absorption, certain item properties (Received
damage -2, for example), and Ascalon/Knight's armor is directly subtracted from
the damage after all armor and damage percentage bonuses are applied, similar
to the bonus damage done by skills. When up against non-Warriors, very few
things give a Damage Absorption bonus. Damage Absorption is mostly in the
realm of primary Warriors, who have Knight's/Ascalon Armor which gives a -2
Damage Absorb, Absorption runes (from -1 to -3 Damage Absorb), and magical
Damage Absorb mods on shields. You will usually face between -3 to -8 Damage
Absorb on any particular warrior. Damage Absorb applies to all damage done to
the target, even cutting back on damage that ignores armor. For Rangers, this
means that you can expect the preps Ignite Arrows and Kindle Arrows to do
significantly less damage against warriors than against other targets.
Call of Protection is a Ranger skill that gives a lot of Damage Absorption to
your pet, allowing them to tank better.
Armor Penetration
-----------------
Armor Penetration is a percentage adjustment of the Armor Level of the target.
For example, 10% Armor Penetration means that the base Armor Level of the
target is multiplied by 90% to determine the effective Armor Level. Armor
Penetration comes in two varieties, Base AP and Bonus AP. Base AP comes from
the Strength attribute, Penetrating Attack, Penetrating Blow, and certain Air
Magic spells, among other things. Bonus AP comes from Judge's Insight and the
Sundering weapon mod. Only the highest value of base AP applies, but all
values of bonus AP stack on top of the Base AP.
The maximum armor penetration that a Ranger can have with a bow attack is 50%,
from a Sundering bowstring (10% bonus AP) plus Judge's Insight (20% bonus AP)
while using a Penetrating Attack (20% base AP).
Damage over Time
----------------
The Damage over Time done by Conditions such as Poison and Bleeding are at a
rate of -2 Health per second per "pip" of degeneration, up to a maximum of 10
"pips", or -20 Health per second. This is not reduced by armor nor are there
any bonuses/penalties that augment this rate. Conditions stack with each other
but not themselves. The final Health Degeneration is determined by the sum of
all the Health Regeneration bonuses and the sum of all the Health Degeneration
Bonuses, so while you cannot go below 10 pips of Health Degen, you can apply
more health degen to offset gains from Healing Breeze, Mending, etc.
List of Health Degeneration Conditions
--------------------------------------
* Bleeding -3 pips or -6 Health per second
* Poison/Disease -4 pips or -8 Health per second
* Burning -7 pips or -14 Health per second
Some Marksmanship-linked skill highlights:
Barrage (Elite)
===============
Barrage is the spammable low-Energy Area Effect skill that Elementalists can
only dream about. At the quick Cooldown Time of 1 second and the low Energy
cost of 5 Energy (which can be brought even lower by Expertise), Barrage also
adds damage comparable to other Marksmanship skills. This makes Barrage an
incredible weapon in the hands of a capable Marksmanship expert.
Barrage is an Elite skill and thus cannot be used with other Elites. Also,
Barrage is incompatible with preparations, as it removes all preparations when
it is used. Keeping this in mind, Barrage works very well with bonus damage
enchantments from other classes, such as Judge's Insight and the Elementalist
Conjure line. It is a good way to soften up a group ganging up on a tank
(possibly your pet?), and often you can take down a whole group in just a
handful of Barrages in a row, and not break a sweat with your Energy bar. You
can also use Favorable Winds to increase your Barrage damage. Speaking of
which...
Favorable Winds
===============
Favorable Winds is an excellent "enchantment" in the Spirit line of Ranger
skills. It lasts a long time, affects a large radius, and adds a significant
amount of damage and arrow speed.
Remember, this is a spirit, and thus also affects enemy arrows as well as all
of your allies' arrows. In a party of multiple rangers, sometimes it's a good
idea to negotiate who will cast this spirit, so that only one person has to
carry the task of laying down this spirit. Or multiple rangers can carry this
spirit and alternate laying down the spirit, speeding up the "recharge" time
for spirit coverage. But if you are going up against enemy rangers, leave
this spirit at home. Often, the monster groups will have many more archers
than you do, and will benefit far more from this spirit.
Penetrating Attack
==================
At first glance, this Bow Attack skill looks very similar to all of the other
Bow Attack skills. It compares quite well to Power Shot, as it does a similar
damage profile. However, it has a speedy cooldown of 3 seconds and 20% armor
penetration. If you need a 10 Energy bow attack skill, this is the skill that
I would recommend, as it will probably deal the most damage out of all the 10
Energy Bow skills simply because it has 20% base armor penetration. The fact
that its cooldown is among the fastest of the non-Elite bow skills is definitely
a plus.
With Factions, you also have access to Sundering Shot, which is a clone of
Penetrating Attack. Theoretically, you can carry both of these skills on your
bar and continually spam Armor Penetrating attacks for massive damage.
Pin Down/Crippling Shot (Elite)
===============================
Pin Down is the ubiquitous PvP snare skill. A snare is a skill that slows your
enemy's movement. It has a rather long cooldown, and it is quite expensive at
15 Energy. Nevertheless, it should be a staple in most PvP builds and certain
PvE missions (such as Aurora Glade). Use Pin Down to cripple the Monk on the
opposing team, or to slow down Warriors so that you can run out of their Melee
range.
Crippling Shot (Elite) takes 15 Energy and a 1 second cooldown, and the Cripple
duration is 1-8 seconds. It cannot be blocked or evaded, either. Crippling Shot,
while typically having a shorter duration than an equivalent Pin Down, can be
spammed multiple times. Use Crippling Shot to disable several people with a
guaranteed snare (due to the "cannot be blocked or evaded" property). In short,
Crippling Shot is superior to Pin Down but it is still Elite, and thus takes up
your Elite slot. On March 2, 2006, Crippling Shot was hit with the nerf bat and
significantly reworked. It is still useful as a "spam crippling" attack, but
not nearly as powerful as it was before.
Read the Wind
=============
The only Bow Preparation in the Marksmanship line, Read the Wind provides many
of the same benefits of Favorable Winds. The damage bonus from both skills
stack, but the arrow speed doesn't appear to change much. Being a preparation,
it does not stack with other preps. However, it is a viable alternative to
Favorable Winds if one expects to face enemy archers in an area and wishes to
retain some sort of arrow speed bonus. Note that as of the 9/29/05 update, Read
the Wind got a duration boost to 24, bringing it on par with other Wilderness
Survival-linked preps.
Factions Skills
===============
This section is a work-in-progress.
Some of the Marksmanship skills in Factions are close copies of existing skills
from the Prophecies campaign. For example, Sundering Shot matches very closely
to Penetrating Attack. In effect, with both skills in your skillbar, you can
have two of that particular attack.
Broad Head Arrow (Elite)
------------------------
This is a skill that carries a lot of baggage: The arrow is slow, it has a long
20 second cooldown, it costs 25 Energy, and it is an Elite. It's also possibly
the best Mage-killer in the game. Unlike Concussion Shot, which requires you
to interrupt a spell to apply the "Dazed" condition, Broad Head Arrow adds the
Dazed condition, simply and easily. If there happens to be a spell being cast
it also interrupts that spell, but that's just icing on the cake. It helps to
think of this skill as a "20 second spellcaster lockdown" rather than a standard
interrupt.
Watch out for "block" and "evade", particularly Distortion, Aegis, and Warding
Weapon. Your arrow may be easily pre-empted by a wary spellcaster using arrow
dodging/blocking techniques, so it's best used when catching a spellcaster off
guard. Also watch out for Condition removal. In other words, this skill
probably won't do very well in structured PvP with well-organized teams.
I found this skill to be invaluable in the Boreas Seabed mission. You can lock
down the big bad bosses in this area (and you know which ones I'm talking about)
with a single skill.
If you need your Elite spot, and you are comfortable with your ability to
interrupt, you may want to bring Concussion Shot instead. If you want a simple
way to shutdown spellcasters, though, this arrow will do the trick.
Focused Shot
------------
It's cheap, it has a fast cooldown, and does decent damage. The only penalty is
that it disables all of your other attack skills. Ouch. Still, you can consider
bringing this skill as your primary attack skill, spamming it for repeated high
damage hits. Good for skillbar economy, if your bar is full of spirits and
stances.
Melandru's Shot (Elite)
-----------------------
Who says that Rangers have poor Energy reclamation? Melandru's Shot (Elite)
gives a substantial amount of Energy and deals decent damage to boot. If you
are running an Energy-hungry build of some sort, and find yourself facing
Enchanted opponents all the time, perhaps this Elite will suit you. Unlike
other Energy Reclamation skills, this one is based on Marksmanship and the
Energy returned does not depend on the attribute. It does take up your Elite
slot, however.
Needling Shot
-------------
Another answer to the "Quick Shot" Ranger, Needling Shot does a small amount of
damage, but can rapidly fire if your target is below 50% Health. Great to use
with preparations (which will probably be your main source of damage), and to
finish off a target.
Seeking Arrows
--------------
For the Called Shot lovers in all of us, this new preparation is short-lived,
but prevents your opponents from blocking or evading your attacks. It is rather
expensive for a preparation at 15 Energy, but it is a great way to make sure
your interrupts and spike damage hits their mark. Because it is a preparation,
though, your damage is likely to suffer, and it cannot be used with Barrage.
--------------------------------
- Wilderness Survival (gwrg3d) -
--------------------------------
Wilderness Survival is a motley category of skills that contain pretty much a
little bit of everything, from healing to bow preparations to traps. Most
rangers who sink points into this group do so to take advantage of the
preparations (which add significant amounts of damage to bow attacks) and the
ever-popular Troll Unguent.
Which Bow Preparation is right for me?
======================================
Because one can only use one Preparation at a time, it is important to choose
which preparation would be best for any given situation and for one's own
personal style. Having multiple preparations, while versatile, certainly isn't
efficient, and thus one should carefully consider which preparation is optimal.
Kindle Arrows and Ignite Arrows are similar in scope (adds fire damage), but
different in effect. Ignite Arrows does less damage, but applies the damage
over an area. Kindle Arrows does more damage and cost less. It is difficult to
ponder which one is better, as it is entirely situational. If you think that
you are going to get swarmed by large groups of enemies, Ignite Arrows is
probably better. If you want to do more damage per hit, go with Kindle Arrows.
Both have reasonably long durations (24 seconds), both work well in concert
with Dual Shot, and both preparations will do damage even though your are Blind
or your opponent is blocking/evading. One major difference between the two
preparations is that Kindle Arrows actually changes all of your damage to Fire
damage while Ignite Arrows does not.
Then there are the two Interrupt preparations, Incindiary Arrows (Elite) and
Choking Gas. Both of them have the disadvantage of having short durations, and
thus having Practiced Stance (Elite) would be beneficial. Choking Gas only
interrupts spellcasters, who are 90% of the targets of interrupts anyway. Both
of these are quite effective, but may be redundant with existing interrupt bow
attacks, and lack the spontaneity of Distracting Shot. You can't just "fire
off" a Choking Gas arrow to prevent a W/Mo from resurrecting the Monk if you
haven't already used the preparation. Choking Gas is another preparation that
will still do its effect when you are Blind or when your opponent is blocking
or evading.
There are also two Damage over Time preparations, Apply Poison and Melandru's
Arrows (Elite). Incindiary Arrows (Elite) also does a brief damage over time,
but most people get it more for the interrupt capability. Apply Poison is a
staple of many Rangers, simply because it is available much earlier than Poison
Arrow, and does a decent amount of damage over time. Melandru's Arrows causes
bleeding, but isn't available until much later in the game. Apply Poison has a
reasonably long duration, just like the fire line of preparations, but it can
also be used to add poison to melee attacks. Combined with the Cyclone Axe
warrior skill, you have an early-game potent combination.
Finally, you have Read the Wind, the Markmanship cousin of all of these
Wilderness Survival preparations. If you don't want to sink points into
Wilderness Survival at all, then Read the Wind is a viable alternative.
Technically, Marksman's Wager (Elite) is also a preparation, but you will
generally use Marksman's Wager only to reclaim Energy in short bursts. Thus,
you will probably not use it as your main preparation. It is more of an
"emergency Energy" skill.
Practiced Stance (Elite) is a way to get more bang for your preparation buck.
It lowers the casting time of preparations (meh) and lengthens the duration
(yay!). It's a stance, which means it's incompatible with the stances that are
the staple of Ranger defense, and it's Elite which means it takes up your Elite
slot.
In general, most people either choose Kindle/Ignite Arrows or Apply Poison,
until they get one of the two late-game Elites, Poison Arrow and Barrage.
Speaking of Poison Arrow...
Poison Arrow (Elite)
====================
"What? Why is this an Elite? We've had Apply Poison since Lion's Arch!"
Poison Arrow has many advantages over Apply Poison, which makes it comparable
to other Elite skills. First of all, it has a low Energy cost (5 points) and
a low "casting time" (since it is a bow attack). You can't "double poison" a
target, making multiple Poisoned arrows in a target redundant at best. Poison
arrow is not a preparation, and thus can "stack" with other Preparations. You
can gain the benefit of Kindle Arrows or Ignite Arrows while Poisoning at the
same time. Finally, because it isn't a preparation and doesn't have a 2 second
casting time, it is the best skill to use for "off the cuff" poisoning in the
middle of battle. You don't have to wait 2 seconds to poison the next badguy.
Simply point and shoot.
ARGH! Traps!
============
Traps in Guild Wars are in the exclusive realm of the Ranger. They often
inflict status conditions on opponents while dealing a set amount of damage.
You can lay down as many traps as you'd like, although Traps automatically set
themselves off in 90 seconds. They take 2 seconds to cast, and are easily
interrupted (if you get hit, the trap isn't set). Traps have an unusually
small radius (approximately 5 to 10 feet), and thus it can be quite difficult
to lure enemies to trip them. There are four damaging traps and one healing
"trap". Barbed Trap and Spike Trap (Elite) are useful in bleeding and slowing
down opponents. Flame Trap is purely for damage, and Dust Trap is one of the
few (but useful) skills that can cause an Area-effect Blind. Dust Trap has the
highest cost of the group. Healing Spring is technically a "trap", but instead
of damaging, it heals party members gradually over 10 seconds.
There are three ways of using traps that I'd like to talk about. The first is
to plant traps while luring. You run ahead of the group toward the creatures
you are trying to lure, but halfway there you plant a trap. Then you attract
the creature and run directly back to the group. It is likely that at least
one of the enemies will trigger the trap. This works better on melee monsters
than ranged/spellcaster monsters. The second way is to use a Nature Ritual
spirit as a decoy. Simply plant several traps down, and then cast a Nature
Ritual. Then aggro a group of monsters and run back toward the spirit (which
marks where your traps are). Not only will you remember where you set the trap
because of the spirit, but the monsters sometimes run up to the spirit itself
to destroy it, triggering the group of traps you have set there. The third
method is to use traps during combat. This is dangerous because a hit will
interrupt your trap, but with Ranger defensive skills, you can slide into
position, lay down your trap, and affect a whole group of monsters with a
status condition. You can also use your party's tanks as a wall to protect you
while you are doing this. If you are lucky, you can even chain a couple of
traps in this manner.
Other Wilderness Survival skills
================================
Dryder's Defenses
-----------------
One of the few "defensive avoidance" skills that is not linked to the Expertise
line, Dryder's Defenses provides the same benefit against attacks as Whirling
Defense, but it also provides Elemental Armor as well. Because secondary class
Rangers do not get Expertise, this skill becomes a viable alternative for
taking advantage of the Ranger's dodge ability, as well as allowing a Ranger to
take even more Elemental damage punishment than any other class.
Melandru's Resiliance (Elite)
-----------------------------
This interesting stance gives you Health Regeneration and Energy Regeneration
for each condition and hex that you are suffering for a short period of time
(8-18 seconds). It is one of the few ways that Rangers can deal with Hexes
(indirectly), and also one of the few ways to increase your Energy regeneration.
It is a great skill to take along when you know you are going to face Mesmer or
Necromancer enemies. It costs a small amount of Energy and unlike most Ranger
stances it has a reasonable cooldown time of 25 seconds.
However, it is a stance, so it can't be stacked with other defensive stances. It
is also an Elite, and thus it has a large opportunity cost, as there are other
Elites that you could have used in that slot. Still, if you are having trouble
surviving because of Hexes and Conditions, give this stance a try.
Troll Unguent
-------------
This skill is almost ubiquitous among Rangers. It is the main Self-heal that
Rangers have (there are other healing skills, but none as cheap or versatile as
Troll Unguent). It has a duration of 10 seconds, and an equally long cooldown
time, and it has a cheap Energy cost of 5. It is NOT an Enchantment spell, and
thus it can't be stripped or countered by most Mesmer interrupts.
The main disadvantage of Troll Unguent is the casting time. 3 seconds is a long
time in battle, and if you are being attacked, you could take several hits while
the Troll Unguent is being cast. Thus, it might be a good idea to blind your
enemies or use a defensive stance while using it. Be wary of general interrupts
as this skill is sure to be interrupted by a savvy opponent.
Still, I would recommend that this skill should always reside in your skillbar
as your main self-heal. There are few skills as cheap or as useful with so few
points in an attribute.
Factions Skills
===============
This section is a work-in-progress.
There is a nice complement of spirits and one new trap in Factions.
Brambles
--------
This interesting spirit does minimal damage, but applies Bleeding on folks who
are knocked down. There are very few options for a Ranger to knock down their
opponents (Spike Trap comes to mind), so typically you'll have to depend on your
secondary for the knockdown. Another alternative is having your pet knock down
the opponent for the bleeding damage. Brambles is still effective without many
points in Wilderness Survival. Still, it seems to be a less than ideal choice
to apply bleeding, when Barbed Trap is available.
Conflagration
-------------
This is the baby brother of Greater Conflagration (Elite). At first, it seems
to do very little, changing Arrows to fire damage. However, remember that you,
as a ranger, possess greater protection against elemental damage. Suddenly,
arrows are doing about 40% less damage against you. This also may similarly
benefit your enemies, of course, but you can turn this into an advantage if you
target creatures that are weak against fire (Ice Golems, Trees/Plants, Warriors,
etc.). It's a conditional skill, to be sure, but it's a good spirit to swap in
when you know the opposition will be Warrior-heavy or you are going to face some
plants or ice creatures. It's also a good way to do elemental damage without
using a Fiery/Elemental bowstring.
Snare
-----
This trap is pretty simple... all it does cause Crippling. However, it performs
the central function of Traps (crowd control) for very little Energy and a
relatively quick (for a trap) cooldown. Combine it with other traps for added
effect.
Tranquility
-----------
This is a deceptively nasty spirit. While the effect seems relatively benign,
think about all of those beneficial enchantments that the enemy uses, like
Healing Breeze and Shadow Refuge. It cuts the effect of those by up to 50%.
Remember, though, this will affect you and your party as well, as with all
Nature Spirits, so it may interfere with Enchantment-heavy or your Healing
Breeze spamming Monks. It synergizes well with Nature's Renewal in terms of
keeping those spellcasters down.
=====================
= Equipment (gwrg4) =
=====================
------------------
- Armor (gwrg4a) -
------------------
The main attribute that distinguishes Ranger armors is their +30 armor level
against Elemental damage, which allows Rangers to tank hits from Elemental
attacks much easier. Ranger Armor also has a total +1 energy regen bonus
(which brings Energy regeneration to 3 points).
As one progresses through the PvE/questing portion of the game, the armor rises
in protective value. The "final" armor has a base armor level of 70, and this
is the same base armor level found on PvP end-game characters. Note that the
1.5k Armors available at Droknar's Forge are identical in stats to both the 15k
Armors available at Marhan's Grotto and Granite Citadel and the Fissure Armors
available from the Fissure of Woe. They only differ in appearance.
In Factions, you have several choices of Armor crafters, each with different
appearances and raw material requirements. Remember that you can mix and match.
If you lack the Steel to make an armor, for example, you can head to another
armor merchant that takes Leather Squares or Damask. Since each armor has a
unique appearance, you may want to experiment a bit and see which look is right
for you. Note that the first available "end-game armor" in Factions is at
Kaineng Square. In the Prophecies campaign, this is the first city you will
visit in Cantha, while in the Factions campaign, you won't reach this area until
you get to the mainland. Head north from the Marketplace after you arrive on
the mainland to get to Kaineng.
A list of all the armor crafters can be found in the Appendices, under Armor
List [gwrg9b].
Leather/Ranger's
================
The standard ranger armor provides no additional bonuses or penalties. The top
version of Leather Armor can be gained from the Crystal Desert collectors, thus
making it the cheapest top level armor in the game, quite affordable for any
Ranger looking to save some gold.
Drakescale/Pyrebound
====================
This armor provides an additional +15 points of armor against the Fire element.
This is great protection against Hydras and creatures that roam around the Ring
of Fire island chain, but other than that, most people simply take this set for
the looks. Greater Conflagration (Elite) turns all physical damage to Fire
damage, increasing your armor with this suit by 45 points against physical
attacks (30 base, plus 15 from the Drakescale bonus).
Druid's
=======
This armor provides an energy bonus for each piece of armor. This armor is
ideal for Rangers who are also secondary spellcasters, and for most rangers in
general. The +15 Armor Level bonus of the other armors are negligable for the
most part, and the energy bonus of the Druid's set gives a distinct advantage
in all situations. If you can afford it or find it (Druid's Armor is not
available until after Lion's Arch), go with this set.
Fur-lined/Frostbound
====================
This armor provides an additional +15 points of armor against the Cold element.
By utilizing the Winter Nature Ritual skill, one can turn all Elemental Damage
into one that favors this particular armor.
Studded Leather/Stormbound
==========================
This armor provides an additional +15 points of armor against the Lightning
element. Very few things deal lightning damage (Shadow Phantoms come to mind),
so much of the time this armor is relegated to situational PvP only.
Factions: Explorer's
====================
This armor was recently introduced with Factions, and it provides a Health bonus
per piece. Very useful in increasing your survivability, especially if you have
a Superior rune in your skillset.
Factions: Scout's
=================
This armor provides an extra +10 armor bonus while using a preparation. Not so
great for a Barrager, but great for anyone who uses preparations early and
often in a battle.
Factions: Sentry's
==================
This armor provides an extra +10 armor bonus while using a stance. Since you
are on the defensive when using a stance anyway, this armor provides a nice
complement to reducing the damage done to you.
Headgear
========
Each Ranger headgear offers a bonus to a different Ranger skill. The Archer's
Mask, for example, adds +1 to Marksmanship. In general, it is wise to choose
a mask that gives a bonus to your highest attribute, or the attribute that is
used most frequently in your character.
List of Masks:
* Archer's Mask +1 Marksmanship
* Hunter's Mask +1 Expertise
* Simple Mask No Bonus
* Tamer's Mask +1 Beast Mastery
* Traveler's Mask +1 Wilderness Survival
Runes
=====
Ranger Runes can be socketed in Ranger Armor (and as a side note, you can ONLY
use runes of your primary class/armor). A Minor Rune increases a skill by one,
a Major Rune increases a skill by two and subtracts -50 from maximum health,
and a Superior Rune increases a skill by three and subtracts -75 from maximum
health. In general, it's NOT a good idea to stack multiple Major/Superior
runes, as it will make your character too fragile for combat. Stick with a
single Major/Superior rune for your character, if at all.
Runes that modify the same attribute do NOT stack. Only the highest bonus
applies. Thus, you won't gain more than a +1 bonus from having two identical
Minor runes, nor will you get a +3 to an attribute from having a Major and a
Minor rune for that attribute.
Runes can be used (similar to Masks) to increase your attributes above the
in-game limit of 12, and can also be used to offset points from an attribute
at the high end. Due to diminishing returns and the exorbitant cost of an
attribute above 8, the points saved by using runes can easily shore up the
points in other attributes, especially secondary class attributes.
There is no reason NOT to use Minor runes for all of the Ranger attributes that
you are using, so be sure to seek out and collect the Minor runes that you
need. I find that most Minor runes go for 100-300 gold in-game from sellers.
Also, be sure to invest in a Vigor rune of some sort (which can be used by all
classes). A Minor Rune of vigor gives +30 to maximum health, a Major Rune of
Vigor gives +41 to maximum health, and a Superior Rune of Vigor gives +50 to
maximum health. Not only can these runes offset your health loss from Major/
Superior runes, but they provide more survivability and staying power for your
Ranger.
-----------------
- Bows (gwrg4b) -
-----------------
Bow Classes
===========
There are 5 classes of bows in Guild Wars, which I will name according to the
most "common" type:
The 5 classes of bows are:
* Flatbow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Flatbows, and the Ithas Bow
* Longbow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Longbows, and Storm Bows
* Horn Bow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Horn Bow, Ivory Bows, and Shadow Bows
* Composite Bow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Composite Bows, Dead Bows,
Recurve Bow, and Eternal Bows
* Short Bow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Half Moon Bows, and Short Bows.
In addition, each bow class differs in the following characteristics:
* Range
* Refire Rate
* Arc Size
* Appearance
* Armor Penetration (special)
Ascalon Bows
------------
Ascalon Bows given by the collectors tend to imitate one of the above bow
classes. The appearance of the bow remains as a Flatbow/Longbow, but it can be
either a Flatbow, a Long bow, a Composite Bow, or a Short bow as far as range,
arrow speed, and rate of fire. You'll have to experiment to find out which
one it is.
Damage Range
------------
Bows do various ranges of damage based on their quality. Note that a Shortbow
and a Longbow can do the exact same amount of damage. The type of bow does not
influence the damage rating of the bow. The maximum damage range that a bow
can have is 15-28. There are rumors of 16-28 bows out there, but 15-28 is the
maximum you can expect.
In order to take advantage of the damage range listed on a bow, one needs to
meet the prerequisite amount of Marksmanship required by the bow. Otherwise,
the bow will behave as a Level 5 bow of the same type, with greatly reduced
damage. The actual base damage value varies and it is hidden, but it will be
the same as if the bow was dropped by a Level 5 enemy.
Bows with lower Marksmanship requirements do NOT do more damage if you exceed
the Marksmanship requirement by a greater amount. There are no bows with a
requirement of Beast Mastery or Wilderness Survival, and the only bow with an
Expertise requirement is the Ithas Bow (which has both an Expertise and
Marksmanship requirement).
Range
-----
Most bows can be lumped into three categories of ranges:
* Short range - Just within the "Aggro circle" on the Radar. The only bow class
with this range is the Short Bow class.
* Medium range - Up to "Casting Range", which is just beyond the "Aggro circle"
on the Radar. The Horn Bow and Composite Bow classes dwell in this range, and
it is similar in range to all Wand/Staff weapons.
* Long range - Up to 1.5 times the distance of the "Aggro Circle" on the Radar.
The Longbow and Flatbow classes are in this range.
These ranges are based on flat terrain. Being on higher ground than your target
will increase the range of your bow, while being on lower ground decreases the
range of your bow.
Refire Rate
-----------
The first shot that you fire from a bow will always be 2.0 seconds in duration.
However, after that initial shot, the rate of refire differs between the bow
classes. There are 3 rates of refire:
* Fast - approximately 2.0 seconds between shots. The Short Bow and Flatbow
classes have the Fast refire rate.
* Medium - approximately 2.5 seconds between shots. The Longbow and Composite
Bow classes have the Medium refire rate.
* Slow - approximately 2.7 seconds between shots. The Horn Bow class has the
slow refire rate.
Arc Size
--------
Arc size determines both Arrow Speed (how fast an arrow takes to hit its
target) and accuracy (leeway of the target dodging shots):
* High arc - Flatbows have the highest arc out of all of the bow classes. Thus,
the Flatbow class is the least accurate against moving targets at range.
* Normal arc - Horn Bows, Longbows, and Short Bows all have a normal arc. Note
that because a Shortbow has such a small range, the Normal Arc doesn't really
have much of an appreciable effect on arrow speed.
* Low arc - The Composite Bow class has the lowest Arc, and thus has the
shortest time to target and fastest arrow speed, making Composite Bows the
most accurate bow class.
Called Shot, Favorable Winds, and Read the Wind will make the Arc size
approximately the same as the Low arc of a Composite Bow.
Armor Penetration
-----------------
Horn Bows, Ivory Bows, and Shadow Bows have 10% Armor Penetration, according to
a couple of sources. This compensates for their slightly slower attack speed.
With speed increases, these bows can potentially do the most damage, especially
on armored targets. For general purpose use, and for Bow skills, however, a
Short bow is probably better.
What's the "best bow"?
----------------------
There's no such thing as the "best bow". Each bow class has strengths and
weaknesses. Short bows are great for overall damage, but are lacking in Range.
Flatbows can also deal a similar amount of damage, but they are inaccurate at
long range. Longbows are slow, but have a long range and normal arc. Composite
bows are guaranteed to hit, but are merely average in other stats. Horn Bows do
the most damage per single shot, but have the slowest refire rate of all the
bows.
My advice? Use a long range bow for pulling/luring, a short range bow for close
combat, and a composite bow for interrupting.
Bow Upgrades
============
There are two kinds of upgrades that you can apply to bows: Bowstrings, and Bow
Grips. Each upgrade adds something to the name of the bow, and can be applied
to any quality of item, from mundane to magical blue to rare purple/gold. You
are more likely to find Purple and Gold items that are already upgraded with a
bowstring or bow grip. You can only use one Bowstring and one Bow Grip to
upgrade your bow. A new Bowstring or Bow Grip will overwrite the old mod, and
you will lose the old mod permanently.
Upgrades can often be salvaged from a bow using an Expert Salvage Kit. Expert
Salvage Kits have a random chance of extracting either the Bowstring or the Bow
Grip.
Bowstrings
----------
Bowstrings add "prefix" upgrades to a bow and include the following:
* Ebon - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Earth
* Fiery - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Fire
* Icy - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Cold
* Poisoner's - Lengthens the duration of Poison by 33%
* Shocking - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Lightning
* Sundering - has a random (5-10%) chance of having 10% armor penetration
* Vampiric - -1 Health Degen, Steal life on hit (1-5 points)
* Zealous - -1 Energy Regen, +1 Energy per attack
The only bowstring that doesn't see much use is the Sundering bowstring, due to
the small percent chance of actually applying the effect. The elemental
bowstrings are popular with Ranger/Elementalists who wish to take advantage of
the Conjure lines. Zealous bowstrings are popular with Barrage spammers, as
each arrow reclaims one point of energy. With a fast-firing bow and perhaps
certain attack speed stances, zealous bows provide a quick method of Energy
regeneration, especially for folks who don't use sustained enchantments.
Poisoner's bowstrings are always popular among Rangers who use Poison Arrow and
Apply Poison. The Vampiric bowstring is useful for a "bow switch", as the -1
Health degen can hurt over longterm use.
There is a rumor that the Shocking bowstring gives 25% armor penetration. This
is not true, but it is based on the fact that most Air Magic spells have 25%
armor penetration. Shocking bowstrings only change your damage to Lightning.
Bow Grips
---------
Bow Grips add "suffix" upgrades to a bow, and include the following:
* Of Defense - adds Armor +4-5
* Of Shelter - adds Armor +4-7 (vs. physical attacks)
* Of Warding - adds Armor +4-7 (vs. elemental attacks)
* Of Charrslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Charr)
* Of Deathbane - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Undead)
* Of Dwarfslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Dwarves)
* Of Giantslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Giants)
* Of Pruning - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Plants)
* Of Skeletonslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Skeletons)
* Of Tenguslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Tengu)
* Of Trollslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Troll)
* Of Enchanting - Enchantments last 10-20% longer
* Of Fortitude - adds Health +20-30
* Of Marksmanship - adds +1 Marksmanship (10-20% chance while using skills)
Fortitude and Defense/Shelter seem to be the most popular Bow Grips. Some
Rangers who are also secondary spellcasters tend to prefer the Bow Grip of
Enchanting.
Which is the better bowgrip, "Of Defense" or "Of Fortitude"?
------------------------------------------------------------
There's an ongoing debate on which bowgrip is better for a Ranger in the long
run. The bowgrip of popular choice seems to be a Bowgrip of Fortitude, as seen
by the enormously inflated prices for a perfect Health +30 version. However, if
you look at the numbers, Bowgrip of Defense with an Armor +5 reduces incoming
damage to 91.7% of normal, which means about a 9% benefit. Even if the Fortitude
grip is perfect at +30 HP, the benefit from the Fortitude grip amounts to about
5% to 7%, meaning that based on Armor Level alone, the Bowgrip of Defense looks
like a better choice.
However, there are several situations in which a Bowgrip of Defense does not
give any benefit. For example, Conditions and Hexes that apply Health
Degeneration ignore armor, as do most Necromancer and Mesmer damaging spells.
Also, Death Penalty applies to your base Health and Energy, while bonuses to
Health and Energy remain the same. Thus, while the Bowgrip of Defense Armor
bonus remains static, the utility of the Bowgrip of Fortitude actually increases
as your Death Penalty goes up, by virtue of the fact that it is not reduced by
Death Penalty, giving you a higher overall Health.
Still, it is FAR easier to find a cheap Armor +5 Bowgrip of Defense than it is
to find a high level or perfect Bowgrip of Fortitude. Mostly, it boils down to
personal preference. The Fortitude bonus always applies, regardless of the kind
of damage that you take, but the Defense bonus provides a better long-term
benefit.
There are also bowgrips of Shelter and Warding. Having any bowgrip is better
than having no bowgrip, but these only protect against physical damage and
elemental damage respectively. Neither protect against non-elemental damage
like Light, Chaos, or Dark damage from wands and staves (the Bowgrip of Defense
does protect against these types), and have the same caveats as stated for the
Bowgrip of Defense above.
Inherent Magical Bonuses
========================
Certain bonuses cannot be gained from a Bow Upgrade. Instead, they are
inherently part of a magical bow (typically Purple or Gold, although occasional
blue bows do have these bonuses). The bonuses stack on top of the bonuses from
upgrades. An ideal bow will have three bonuses total: a Bowstring prefix bonus,
a Bow Grip suffix bonus, and an inherent bonus.
Inherent bonuses include:
* Damage +10-15% Armor -10 (while attacking)
* Damage +10-15% Energy -5
* Damage +10-15% (while enchanted)
* Damage +10-15% (while health is above 50%)
* Damage +10-20% (while health is below 50%)
* Damage +10-20% (while hexed)
* Damage +10-15% (while in a stance)
* Damage +10-15% (vs. hexed foes)
* Energy +5
While the ranges seem rather wide, I've never seen a bonus below 10% or above
20%, other than some of the damage ranges seen on some of the special
Collectors Bows. The +20% damage bows are extremely rare... expect to get +15%
damage at the most (from a collector's bow), unless you get a lucky drop from a
level 28 enemy. Note that bonuses of +15% or higher are far more common on
bows that give a damage bonus with a penalty, like -5 Energy or while Hexed.
Alternate Bows
==============
While the best option is to get the most damaging bow with the modifier of
choice (usually a +15% Damage mod of some kind), there are several other unique
options for those looking for variety or a niche.
Crafted Bows
------------
There used to be bows that offered bonus 10 Armor at the Henge of Denravi or
+5 Energy among the Old Ascalon collectors, but these bonuses were taken out
in the 9/7/05 update. In Factions, end-game bows can be crafted with this mod.
However, there is a new bow in the 9/7/05 update that can be crafted for 100
Wood Planks, 50 Feathers, and 5 Plat at Sarad, the weapon master at Droknar's
Forge. This is a Longbow with Damage +15% (while in a stance), max damage.
Pre-Order Weapons
-----------------
If you preordered your game from Electronics Boutique, then you have access to
a unique bow called the Ithas Bow. It does 13-25 damage and adds armor (much
like the Henge of Denravi bow), but has two prerequisites of Marksmanship and
Expertise of 10 each. Ouch. It has the range of a longbow with a faster fire
rate, similar to the Flatbow.
Temple of the Ages dungeons
---------------------------
There are several bows that only drop in the Temple of the Ages dungeons. These
are the Shadow Bow, Eternal Bow, and Storm Bow. They have very neat-looking
effects, cosmetically. The Storm Bow in particular sizzles with lightning.
Each of these bows have their own stats. It is confirmed that the Storm Bow
acts as a Long Bow, the Shadow Bow acts as a Horn Bow, and the Eternal Bow acts
as a Composite/Recurve Bow.
Sorrow's Furnace
----------------
There are several unique bows with Green text that drop at Grenth's Footprint
and Sorrow's Furnace, that have good (but not overpowering) stats, like
Thornbeard's Horned Bow. These bows automatically have a perfect prefix,
suffix, inherent mod on them, but they cannot be modified in any way with
upgrades. They typically drop from the bosses in that area.
All bows listed below have Maximum damage (15-28) and require 9 Marksmanship
* Boulderbeard's Short Bow (+15% Health > 50%, Shocking, Fortitude)
* Drago's Flatbow (+15% Health > 50%, Sundering, Fortitude)
* Drago's Vampiric Flatbow (+15% in stance, Vampiric, Defense)
* Elswyth's Long Bow (+15% Health > 50%, Poisoner's, Fortitude)
* Elswyth's Recurve Bow (+15% Health > 50%, Vampiric, Fortitude)
* Forgerunner (Long Bow, +15% in stance, Fiery, Fortitude)
* Gargash's Recurve Bow (+15% while enchanted, Zealous, Fortitude)
* Graygore's Shortbow (+15% Health > 50%, Vampiric, Marksmanship)
* Graygore's Zealous Shortbow (+15% Health > 50%, Zealous, Defense)
* Stinger (Horn Bow, +15% in stance, Poisoner's, Marksmanship)
* Tarnok's Longbow (+15% Health > 50%, Icy, Warding)
* Tarnok's Recurve Bow (+15% while enchanted, Sundering, Enchanting)
* Thornbeard's Horned Bow (+15% while enchanted, Lightning, Shelter)
Scorpion Bow
------------
If you are a Korean Player taking advantage of the Coke-play deal, you may have
in your possession a Scorpion Bow, a bow that's only available to Korea through
a special Coca-Cola marketing offer.
Factions Bows
-------------
The release of Factions has added many new bow appearances. Particularly coveted
at this time are Celestial Bows and Zodiac Bows. It is rumored that several
new "Green" bows were also released within Factions. Celestial Bows can be
found in the Nahpui mission and explorable area. Zodiac Bows can be found in
the Elite missions that are only available to dominant Alliances. There is also
a bow called the "Platinum Bow" that is getting rave reviews in terms of
appearance.
Also, there are many bows that are available among crafters throughout the
continent of Cantha. The coveted +5 Energy and Damage +15% (while Health is
above 50%) mods can be found on some of these crafters, with all four types of
bows represented.
Using Multiple Bows
===================
The game provides up to 4 weapon sets that can be switched during combat at any
time. Because of this, it is fairly trivial to have multiple bows for various
tactical situations. For example, I use a Flatbow in F1 and a Half-Moon in F3.
The Flatbow allows me to pull targets at a much longer range, while I use the
increased fire rate and arrow speed of the Half-Moon bow at close range.
Another trick to use with multiple bows is to assign each bow a different
elemental bowstring. Thus, if a creature is resistant to the element of the
current bow, you can switch to a more appropriate element.
Another useful trick is having a Vampiric bow on the switch. When you need
life, you can swap to the Vampiric bow, and when you don't need life, you won't
suffer from the Health degen if you switch out.
Note: When you switch bows, your bow doesn't swap immediately. It takes the
place of the next "queued" action, which means if you are in the middle of a
bow attack or skill casting, you won't switch your bow until after the current
action. If you "buffer" a skill during the current action, the bow switch will
be cancelled!
Finding a good bow
==================
Generally, max damage bows drop when you start killing level 18 or higher
enemies. Lightning Drakes at the Gates of Kryta or Sanctum Cay, for example,
can drop Max Damage bows on occasion. However, your best bet for finding a bow
is to kill high level enemies with a Ranger class. Dune Burrowers and Enchanted
Bows in the Crystal Desert are a couple of good examples.
Also, several types of unique bows drop in the Temple of the Ages dungeons,
typically with maximum damage. Shadow Bows, Storm Bows, and Eternal Bows can be
found there.
You can also buy a good bow from people selling at Lion's Arch and Ascalon City
usually in District 1. Caveat Emptor. One person's "Godly" bow is the next
person's "junk". I wouldn't spend more than 5,000 gold acquiring a max damage
bow, as you can always add bow parts to improve an existing bow. Beware of
scams to sell Customized weapons to you, as they cannot be used by anyone but
the original user. If it says +20% Damage (Customized for "Seller's Name"),
stay away from it.
There are many collectors that offer Max Damage Ascalon bows in the Crystal
Desert and the Southern Shiverpeaks. A full list can be found in the Appendix
of collectors [gwrg9c] at the end of this Ranger Guide. Here are the items that
they collect:
* Dune Burrower Jaws - Dune Burrowers. Two good places: The beginning of Elona
Reach mission, and the Scar, just outside of the Thirsty River exit. You can
actually outrange the first couple of Dune Burrowers with a Longbow, thus
giving you a "free" kill pretty easily.
* Minotaur Horns - Minotaurs. The beginning of the Elona Reach mission is full
of Minotaurs. Use Spike Mines and defensive skills to kill them quickly.
* Topaz Crests - Sand Drakes. Diviner's Ascent, just out of Elona Reach, you
can beat up Sand Drakes. Fairly easy to solo.
* Dessicated Hydra Claws - Hydras. Go to Skyward Reach...too many Hydras there.
* Massive Jawbones - Sand Giants. I usually run around in the Southern part of
the Arid Sea. Also, the entrance to Vulture Drifts from the Arid Sea has a
huge group of them. Also, there are Giants in the beginning of Thirsty River,
but those don't generally drop Jawbones often.
* Frozen Shells - Frost Wurms. Yeah. Good luck... Find them in Lornar's Pass.
* Mountain Troll Tusks - West of Droknar's Forge in Talus Chute, there's a cave
FULL of Trolls.
* Alpine Seeds - Both level 13 Juniper Barks and level 24 Pinesouls give Alpine
Seeds. Go into Lornar's Pass from Beacon's Perch and kill the Ice Imps and
Pinesouls there, or run around the Northern Shiverpeaks for Juniper Barks.
* Azure Remains - There are many Azure Shadows in Snake Dance and Witman's Folly
* Intricate Grawl Necklaces - There are hordes of Grawl in Witman's Folly, so
you should easily get these in one or two passes, even with a full party.
==================
= Builds (gwrg5) =
==================
Rather than defining builds by certain skillsets, I will attempt to explain the
combinations of skills that are effective "Themes" when designing a ranger
build. While there will be examples of full skillset builds, these are only
used for illustration purposes and should not be considered a definitive build.
Hopefully, the sample builds and the themes will give you inspiration to create
your own effective Ranger build.
-------------------------------
- Ranger-only Themes (gwrg5a) -
-------------------------------
Like all class combinations in Guild Wars, using a secondary class is purely
optional. The Ranger is no exception, and there are several effective themes
that make use of only Ranger skills exclusively.
Anti-Caster
===========
Rangers are well-known for their ability to shut down casters with their arrows.
They also can lay down a Quickening Zephyr to make spellcasters leak Energy like
crazy.
Sample Build:
1. Incindiary Arrows (Elite)
2. Debilitating Shot
3. Concussion Shot
4. Distracting Shot
5. Dryder's Defenses
6. Quickening Zephyr
7. Troll Unguent
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Other useful skills: Choking Gas, Disrupting Lunge, Pin Down, Savage Shot,
Spike Trap (Elite), Punishing Shot (Elite)
Factions skills: Broad Head Arrow (Elite)
Artillery Support
=================
AKA "Barrager"
Barrage is one of the few Elite skills that warrants an entire theme, as the
limitations and strengths of Barrage require careful thought and management.
A high Marksmanship is obviously required, and high Expertise is needed so the
Barrager can continually spam the Barrage skill against enemies.
Sample Build:
1. Barrage (Elite)
2. Favorable Winds
3. Winnowing
4. Distracting Shot
5. Lightning Reflexes
6. Tiger's Fury
7. Troll Unguent
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
The Artful Dodger
=================
This theme focuses mostly on the Ranger's excellent ability to avoid damage. It
focuses mostly on the Expertise attribute, and relies on dodging skills to
prevent damage to the Ranger. Typically, you will want at least two skills to
overlap, as the cooldown times on those skills tend to be quite long.
Sample Build:
1. Bow Damage Skill of choice
2. Lightning Reflexes - Increased Attack speed and dodging
3. Whirling Defense - Defensive Skill
4. Throw Dirt - Applies Blindness, Defensive Skill
5. Dryder's Defenses - Defensive Skill, resists elemental damage
6. Escape (Elite) - Increases Speed, Defensive Skill
7. Troll Unguent/Healing Spring - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Other useful skills: Dodge, Dust Trap, Oath Shot (Elite)
The Beastmaster
===============
One of the definitive themes of the Ranger class, the Beastmaster focuses on
his or her Pet. Since Beast Mastery is a skillbar hog, most who choose this
theme tend to focus on it, dedicating at least half of their slots to Beast
Master skills. Obviously, this theme is heavy on the Beast Mastery attribute.
Sample Build:
1. Charm Animal - Needed for pet
2. Comfort Animal - For healing/resurrecting pet
3. Call of Protection - Damage reduction for pet
4. Symbiotic Bond - More protection for pet, and Health regen
5. Disrupting Lunge - For disruption
6. Ferocious Strike (Elite)
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
The Machine-gunner
==================
This theme utilizes Quick Shot and skills that lower cooldown times so that the
Ranger can lay down a fast stream of arrows. You'll be firing slightly faster
than the attack rate of most swords/axes.
Note that in a Quick Shot build, you won't get much benefit from Serpent's
Quickness, but you will get a benefit from Tiger's Fury and Quickening Zephyr.
Sample Build: This build needs a high Expertise (preferably 13 total from Rune
or Mask), and a high wilderness survival tends to help as well for adding damage
through the use of preparations. Use a Zealous bowstring to reclaim energy
quickly.
1. Quick Shot (Elite)
2. Dual Shot
3. Quickening Zephyr
4. Favorable Winds
5. Tiger's Fury
6. Kindle Arrows
7. Troll Unguent
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Factions skills: Needling Shot
The Ritualist
=============
AKA The "Spirit Spammer"
This theme has been showing up in the PvP metagame recently. This Ranger uses
spirits to change the "rules" of the battlefield, while using Oath Shot (Elite)
or Quickening Zephyr/Serpent's Quickness to reduce the long cooldown times.
Spirits can be used as a temporary obstacle, and the dedicated Ritualist often
plants multiple spirits to increase coverage and provide insurance against
Spirit destruction.
Sample Build: High levels of Beast Mastery and Wilderness Survival are helpful
for this PvP-specific version of the Ritualist. This particular sample build
works best in a team with few/no enchantments, and it is designed to make the
lives of the opponent's Monks and Aeromancers difficult.
1. Greater Conflagration (Elite)
2. Quickening Zephyr - Reduces cooldowns while increasing Energy costs
3. Nature's Renewal - Delays enchantments/hexes
4. Favorable Winds - Increases bow damage
5. Frozen Soil - Prevents resurrection, for locking in a win
6. Fertile Season - More armor and HP reduces the power of Aeromancer spiking
7. Troll Unguent - Self-heal
8. Free slot (Res Signet)
Other useful skills: Some folks use Oath Shot (Elite) to lower the cooldown
times of their spirits.
The Skirmisher
==============
Skirmishers are Rangers who choose to harass and harry their opponents by the
application of Conditions (especially Cripple and Poison). A Skirmisher is
often the first person to attack and lure a monster, focusing on weakening
monsters before the rest of the party uses Focus Fire on it. They also can use
bow preparations to apply area effect splash-damage, causing much grief for
groups of enemies.
Sample Build:
1. Poison Arrow (Elite) - Poison
2. Pin Down - Crippling
3. Hunter's Shot - Bleeding
4. Ignite Arrows - Splash damage
5. Dual Shot - Damage multiplier
6. Whirling Defense - Defensive skill
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Other useful skills: Choking Gas, Incindiary Arrows (Elite), Melandru's Arrows
(Elite), Kindle Arrows, Distracting Shot, Concussion Shot, Dust Trap, Flame
Trap, Barbed Trap, Spike Trap (Elite), Throw Dirt
The Sniper
==========
The Sniper is the quintessential archer, focusing on doing the most damage
against a single target with each arrow. Using Marksmanship skills in concert,
the Sniper picks off opponents one by one, stacking as much damage as possible.
Sample Build:
This build is particularly light on the Wilderness Survival skills. Most
Rangers choose to increase their Wilderness Survival skills and go part Sniper,
part Skirmisher.
1. Penetrating Attack - Increases damage per shot
2. Power Shot - Increases damage per shot
3. Read the Wind - Increases damage, based on Marksmanship
4. Favorable Winds - Increases damage
5. Marksman's Wager (Elite) - Energy Management
6. Lightning Reflexes - Defense
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Other useful skills: Hunter's Shot, Distracting Shot, Dual Shot, Kindle Arrows,
Concussion Shot, Tiger's Fury, Apply Poison, Poison Arrow (Elite)
Factions skills: Marauder's Shot, Sundering Shot
The Trapper
===========
The Trapper focuses on Traps and the Wilderness Survival attribute. Trappers
know when to use traps as passive elements to "soften" up targets as well as
using traps actively in combat to add area-effect damage while hiding behind
a tank. The conditions added by such traps are invaluable for support, and a
high Expertise prevents the Trapper from being hit while laying down traps.
One common place that a Trapper is in demand is in the Underworld, where there
are many powerful enemies who do not use Ranged attacks (Bladed Aatxes come to
mind). Dust Trap and Barbed Trap help to soften them up before the group can
focus and kill these creatures. See "All-Trapper Party in the Underworld"
below in the PvE section for a look at this.
Sample Build:
1. Dust Trap
2. Flame Trap
3. Barbed Trap
4. Healing Spring
5. Whirling Defense
6. Dryder's Defenses
7. Throw Dirt
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Other useful skills: Lightning Reflexes, Dodge, Escape (Elite), Spike Trap
(Elite), Muddy Terrain, Quickening Zephyr (quickly recharge traps), Energizing
Wind (reduce the cost of Dust Trap and Barbed Trap)
Factions skills: Snare
--------------------------------
- Ranger/Elementalist (gwrg5b) -
--------------------------------
Ranger-Elementalists combine the best of the two ranged combat worlds, Bow
Attacks and Magic. Rangers, however, lack the key attribute of Elementalists,
Energy Storage, and thus often run into energy problems when using Elementalist
skills. Also, Expertise only applies to Ranger skills and Rangers lack decent
Energy management and regen. When selecting Elementalist skills to complement
your Ranger abilities, select ones that do not cause Exhaustion, are not
duplicated by Ranger abilities, and ideally have a low Energy cost.
Conjure X
=========
Conjure Flame, Conjure Lightning, and Conjure Frost all can add damage to bow
attacks, similar to bow preparations. They cost a reasonable 10 mana and last
for a whole minute. Because they remove enchantments, they tend to be less
useful for primary Elementalists. However, Rangers don't have enchantments...
One skill that Conjure spells synergize well with is Barrage. Barrage removes
bow preparations, but the Conjure spells aren't preparations, so they still
take effect and cause additional damage. Another skill that multiplies the
damage done by the Conjure spells is Dual Shot (by doubling the arrows). Also,
Conjure spells stack quite well with bow preparations... with a skillset of
Conjure X plus Ignite Arrows plus Poison Arrow, you can have arrows that do
area-effect fire damage, add poison, AND Conjure elemental damage.
Some important notes: To utilize an appropriate Conjure X spell, you MUST have
a bowstring of the corresponding type. For example, Conjure Flame ONLY works
on a Fiery bow (a bow with a Fire bowstring). This limits you to that single
element, which can be a disadvantage when facing enemies resistant to that
element. Also, sometimes it's hard to track down the appropriate bowstring to
match the Conjure spell you want to duplicate.
I'm not sure if Conjure Flame works on the splash damage of Ignite Arrows. That
is something that I'll have to investigate.
Note that with the release of Factions, the Conjure Elements spells no longer
remove other Enchantments. A nice little bonus for a nice little spell.
Sample Build:
This build takes advantage of two low Energy spells, Glimmering Mark and
Conjure Lightning. It requires the use of a Lightning damage bow. It is heavy
in the attributes of Air Magic and Wilderness Survival. With the low cost of
most of the skills, you can skimp a few points out of Expertise.
1. Glimmering Mark (Elite) - Blinds when target is struck by lightning damage
2. Conjure Lightning - Added damage
3. Ignite Arrows - Added damage, splash damage
4. Dual Shot - For doubling the damage from Conjure/Bow Prep
5. Distracting Shot - For disruption and "buffering"
6. Dryder's Defenses - Defensive Skill
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Glyph of (Lesser) Energy and Energizing Wind
============================================
Most Elementalist skills are too prohibitively expensive for a Ranger to use.
However, there are three skills, two in the Elementalist Line, and one in the
Ranger line, that can help reduce the energy costs. Glyph of Lesser Energy
reduces the cost of the next spell you cast by 15 Energy. This puts some of
the most expensive spells in an easily castable range for a Ranger. The main
downside to the Glyph is that it has a cooldown time of 30 seconds. However.
Ranger Expertise bonuses do apply to Glyphs, thus giving you an even larger
saving in Energy. Most of the heavy damage Elementalist spells have a long
casting time, anyway, so the additional second to cast the Glyph isn't too much
compared to the benefit of using it.
The Glyph of Lesser Energy also has an Elite cousin, called the Glyph of Energy.
It is Elite (and thus limits you to using only that Elite), saves up to 20
Energy, and has a cooldown time of only 15 seconds. I'm not sure that the
increased Energy savings and better cooldown is worth using your Elite slot.
You can also run both Glyphs in your skillbar, but then you'd have two Glyphs
hogging up space on your skillbar.
Rangers have access to a Nature Ritual called Energizing Wind, which reduces
Energy costs for all spells by 15 (to a minimum of 10). As with other rituals,
the casting time is prohibitive, but it provides the Ranger with a great way to
save Energy on the expensive Elementalist spells. It also reduces the cost for
Concussion Shot and Dust Trap quite nicely. The penalty is the 25% increase in
cooldown time for all skills, but this penalty is negligable if you are prone
to using lots of high Energy-cost spells. Note that as a Nature Ritual, it
affects friends and foes... it might not be the best thing to use while hunting
Hydras, for instance (who will attack with a non-stop stream of spells while
this spirit is in effect), and some of your allies may complain about the
lengthened cooldown times if you don't inform them of the spirit beforehand.
Then again, there may be some Elementalists who will appreciate having a great
reduction in their Energy costs.
Glyph of Concentration
======================
Although the Glyph of Concentration text states that it prevents interruption
for spells, apparently it also prevents traps from being interrupted while
casting as well. This may be a bug and may be removed in a future update, but
for now, the Glyph of Concentration is a great way to lay down a trap without
fear of being interrupted. Best of all, Glyphs also get an Expertise Energy-
cost reduction.
--------------------------
- Ranger/Mesmer (gwrg5c) -
--------------------------
Ranger-Mesmers have a pretty cool deal, as the Fast Casting primary attribute
of the Mesmer class is not nearly as useful as Expertise (or other Primary
attributes, for that matter) and while a Ranger-Mesmer may run into more Energy
problems than a Primary Mesmer, by careful selection of spells a Ranger can
often retain all of his/her Ranger skills and still effectively toss out Mesmer
Hexes.
Mesmer skills in Domination augment the Ranger's already powerful lineup of
anti-caster attacks. The staple standards of the Domination line, such as
Backfire, Power Leak, and Empathy, work well to shut down casters, allowing the
Ranger more options in terms of disruption. The Inspiration line is less
useful as it typically deals with ways to manipulate other Mesmer spells, but
it provides the Ranger some more methods to reclaim energy. Illusion magic has
several interesting spells that benefit a Ranger.
For example:
Conjure Phantasm
================
The most well-known damaging spell in the Mesmer line is Conjure Phantasm, and
thus Mesmers are known for their Damage over Time capabilities. Rangers also
can apply Damage over Time through the Bleeding and Poison conditions. You can
combine both of these concepts to create an effective Damage over Time Ranger.
Sample Build:
Main Attributes are Illusion Magic and Wilderness Survival.
1. Conjure Phantasm - For -5 Health Degen
2. Kindle Arrow - For more damage
3. Poison Arrow (Elite) - For Poison
4. Hunter's Shot - For Bleeding
5. Dual Shot - For doubling the Kindle Arrow effect
6. Dryder's Defenses - Defensive Skill
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Other useful skills: Melandru's Arrows (Elite), Barbed Trap, Flame Trap,
Maiming Strike, Apply Poison, Incindiary Arrows, Phantom Pain
Echo (Elite)
============
Echo is a great Elite from the Mesmer line. It works especially well with
skills that have a long cooldown time, as it allows you to use a skill twice
in rapid succession. What's better than one Dual Shot? That's right, two Dual
Shots.
Echo costs only 5 Energy, and is not linked to any attribute, thus it does not
need any point investment. It does take up your Elite slot, however.
Several skills that work well with Echo are the long cooldown stances, traps,
and the following theme:
Energy Thief
============
This theme utilizes the Elite skill Echo to copy Debilitating Shot and a high
Expertise to reduce the cost of Debilitating Shot. With Echo, you can lay down
multiple Debilitating Shots, quickly depriving your enemy of the Energy they
need to cast spells. You can pour salt on the wound, so to speak, by adding
Mind Wrack and Spirit Shackles, a classic combination used by Mergoyles to
damage and nullify spellcasters and warriors alike. Any spells that they DO end
up casting can be interrupted by Distracting Shot.
Sample Build:
1. Echo (Elite)
2. Debilitating Shot
3. Distracting Shot
4. Mind Wrack
5. Spirit Shackles
6. Whirling Defense
7. Troll Unguent/Illusion of Weakness
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Another skill to try is the low cost Wastrel's Worry. If they can't cast
spells, then they probably won't be doing anything for the 3 second duration it
takes to damage them with this unusual skill. You can also use Signet of
Weariness for a bit of Energy-free Energy stealing.
Fragility
=========
Fragility is a Mesmer hex that applies damage to a creature if they gain or
lose a status condition, like Bleeding, Poison, Cripple, etc. Since one of the
strengths of a primary ranger is applying Status conditions, Fragility combined
with, say, Pin Down or Apply Poison can potentially cause a world of hurt for
a single targeted enemy. Ironically, you may want to actually have a low
Wilderness Survival for this build, as it shortens the durations of your
conditions and thus shortens the time between taking the initial Fragility
damage and the later Fragility damage (when the condition is removed).
Some caveats, though: Fragility costs 10 energy, and it isn't reduced by
Expertise. Thus, energy management can be a problem. Hex Removal is the bane
of this build, as it removes the Fragility Hex and the main damage-dealing part
of this build. Finally, you are most effective at taking out a single creature,
and a creature that isn't being Focused at that (as typical with playing
Mesmers), as Focus Fire tends to kill a creature far too quickly for your
Fragility combo to truly take effect.
The 9/29/05 update reduced the cooldown time of Fragility to 5 seconds, which
allows a Fragility user to effectively Hex more targets.
Sample Build:
1. Fragility
2. Pin Down - Causes Crippling
3. Hunter's Shot - Causes Bleeding
4. Incindiary Arrows (Elite) - Causes Burning
5. Throw Dirt - Causes Blindness
6. Whirling Defense - General Ranger defensive skill
7. Troll Unguent/Illusion of Weakness - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)
Other useful skills: Melandru's Arrows (Elite), Barbed Trap, Spike Trap(Elite),
Flame Trap, Dust Trap, Maiming Strike, Concussion Shot, Crippling Shot (Elite),
Ineptitude (Elite), Phantom Pain
Illusionary Weaponry (Elite)
============================
This interesting Elite does Chaos damage instead of your regular damage on
every swing of a melee attack. It instantly turns your character into a melee
specialist, as Illusionary Weaponry always hits for a set amount of damage (34
points of damage at Illusion Magic of 12), regardless if you are blinded or
your target is evading/blocking. Every time you swing, whether or not you hit
or miss, it does 34 points damage. You'll never do a critical hit, but you'll
never have that damage reduced by armor, either. Because it is an enchantment,
and the duration is slightly less than the cooldown time, you might either want
to bring Serpent's Quickness/Quickening Zephyr to reduce the cooldown time or
have an "of Enchantment" suffixed weapon to increase the duration of the spell.
Also, you will want to use the fastest weapon you can get your hands on, which
is either a sword or an axe. Damage range doesn't matter, as Illusionary
Weaponry substitutes its damage for your weapon's damage. You can combine this
with Tiger's Fury or Lightning Reflexes to get even more damage out of your
attacks, by striking faster.
As with other Elites, this skill precludes your use of any other Elite skill in
your skillbar. However, you should keep it in mind if find yourself in melee
combat often.
Mantra of Concentration/Resolve
===============================
Mesmers have two stances that prevent interrruption, Mantra of Concentration
and Mantra of Resolve. While Rangers rarely have problems with being
interrupted, except for the occasional Troll Unguent, the Trapper Ranger gains
a huge benefit from using these stances, as they can prevent their easily
interrupted casting animations for laying down traps from being interrupted.
Both of these Mantras last a long time. Mantra of Concentration is only good
for one hit, but is quite Energy efficient. Mantra of Resolve is good for
multiple hits as long as you have Energy, with the Energy costs decreasing with
higher levels of Inspiration magic. In general, it's better to go with Mantra
of Concentration if you have few points in Inspiration Magic, and Mantra of
Resolve if you have many points in Inspiration Magic. Also, since Mantras are
stances, Expertise DOES apply to them.
"You're a Tank!?"
=================
In this theme, the Ranger takes advantage of two skills to greatly reduce the
physical damage done to him. Greater Conflagration (Elite) changes all
physical damage into fire damage, which the Ranger can defend against quite
nicely with Drakescale armor. The Mesmer secondary grants the Ranger a new
stance called Mantra of Flame which can reduce the Fire damage taken by as much
as 45%. The stance lasts a long time (30-78 seconds), is reduced by Expertise
in cost, and also grants the Ranger 1 Energy every time he takes Fire damage.
With these pair of skills, the Ranger no longer worries about Energy Management
or physical damage from melee/ranged attacks. The main limitation of this
theme is that Greater Conflagration is an Elite, but it may be a small price to
pay for being able to tank damage easily as a Ranger. Another option for a
long-lasting Mesmer stance to reduce Fire damage is Elemental Resistance.
------------------------
- Ranger/Monk (gwrg5d) -
------------------------
It is said that there is no such thing as a bad Monk combination in Guild Wars.
All classes benefit from the healing capabilities of the Monk class as a
secondary. The ability to Resurrect your allies more than one time in a
mission (the main limitation of the Signet) and adding supplemental healing to
the Ranger's already burgeoning arsenal of support skills is almost a
no-brainer. A less obvious benefit is the addition of Protection and Smiting
magic, along with a few good Energy management enchantments.
Balthazar's Spirit
==================
Rangers lack good Energy management, but a po 
